The Tangents from 59 - 60. Bill Redd (Billy Thedford) top right

The Tangents (Pacoima, Ca)
aka The Twilighters (4)
aka The Twiliters (3)
Thanks to  Liam

Personnel :

Billy Thedford (Lead)

Jodell Base

Howard Hogains

Willie Marshall

Leonard H.

Discography :

The Tangents
1960 - Send Me Something / I Can't Live Alone (Fresh 1)

Horace Wooten & The Tangents
1961 - That Lucky Old Sun / Never Leave Again (Fresh 2274)

The Twilighters (4)
1961 - Nothin’/ Do You Believe (Eldo 115)

Ron Holden & The Twiliters (3)
1962 - Things Don't Happen That Way / Ya Got That Lovin' Touch (Baronet 3)


Biography :

Vocal Group from Pacoima, Ca. in the San Fernando Valley.  The group consisted of Billy Thedford (Lead), Jodell Base, Howard Hogains, Willie Marshall and Leonard H..In 1960, The Tangents recorded "Send Me Something" and "I Can't Live Alone" released in may 1960 on the Fresh Label owned by Danny Sanford Coggins. For their next record on the label, Horace Wooten joined the group .Horace "Pookie" Wooten has been part of many Los Angeles groups like The Chimes, The Shields (The Touring Group), The Lions, The Wonders, The Wanderers and probably others. With Horace Wooten on lead, they recorded "That Lucky Old Sun" and "Never Leave Again".

   
Horace "Pookie" Wooten                                                                  Ron Holden                     

With almost the same team, but under a new name, The Twilighters, they recorded the fantastic doo wop "Nothin’" and "Do You Believe". The disc will be released by Eldo record founded by Johnny Otis. After the success of 'Love You So" Ron Holden, moved to Los Angeles and met the Group when he recorded "I'll Be Happy" and "I'll Always Have You" at Eldo Records. For their last single The group backed Ron Holden as the Twiliters on "Things Don't Happen That Way" and "You Got That Lovin' Touch" Released on Baronet..

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

The Tangents

  
Send Me Something                              I Can't Live Alone   

Never Leave Again

Horace Wooten & The Tangents

That Lucky Old Sun

The Twilighters (4)

  
Nothin'                                         Do You Believe

Ron Holden & The Twiliters (3)

  
Things Don't Happen That Way           Ya Got That Lovin' Touch      

...

 The Marigolds  (Nashville, Tennessee)
 aka The Solotones  
(By Hans-Joachim)

Personnel:

Johnny Bragg (Lead Tenor)

Edward Lee Thurmon (Tenor)

William Stewart (Baritone)

John Edward Drue (Tenor)

Harold Hebb (Tenor)

Willie Wilson (Bass)

Discography

The Marigolds
Singles :
1955 - Rollin' Stone / Why Don't You (Excello 2057)
1955 - Two Strangers/ Love You - Love You - Love You (Excello 2061)
Unreleased :
1955 - Don't Say Tomorrow  (Excello)
1955 - Rollin’ Stone (alt. take)  (Excello)

Johnny Bragg & The Marigolds
1956 - It's You Darling, It's You / Juke Box Rock And Roll (Excello 2091)

The Solotones
1955 - Pork And Beans / Front Page Blues (Excello 2060)

Johnny Bragg (solo)
1956 - Foolish Me! / Beyond The Clouds (Excello 2078)

Biography:

The Prisonaires, as the name suggests, were a group of inmates led by Johnny Bragg, at the State Penitentiary in Tennessee who were in for a variety of reasons but, through their singing, were touted as evidence of the prison’s successful rehab program.  Sam Phillips took notice and brought the group to record at Sun where the group cut “Walking In The Rain” written by member Robert Riley and Johnny Bragg, which was a sizable hit even being covered by Johnny Ray. 

The group was allowed day passes to tour, even becoming a favorite of the Governor while continuing to record during their imprisonment.  After the third single, several members of the group were paroled, so Bragg formed a new Prisonaires renamed the Sunbeams that included Harold Hebb  (brother of Bobby Hebb, "Sunny," #2 Pop, #3 R&B, 1966), William Stewart, Willy Wilson, and Henry "Dishrag" Jones .

Henry Dishrag Jones (piano) Harold Hebb, Johnny Bragg, John Drue, L.B. McCollough(guitar), Alfred Brooks, Willy Wilson

 Meanwhile, in July 1954, Sun issued the last Prisonaires single "There Is Love In You," which Billboard described as a "pretty ballad sung skillfully, sparked by a baritone lead. This is one of the group's best to date."  Al Brooks joined the group later, replacing William Stewart. In 1955 the Sunbeams became the Marigolds and recorded in Nashville for Excello Records.

The Excello-released "Rollin' Stone" became a number eight R&B hit while the group was still based in the Tennessee penitentiary.   After the Marigolds Bragg changed names again recording the Solotones and then under his own name before spending some additional time in prison for parole violations eventually hanging up his recording career though he continued to sing, as do many, in church.
http://www.vocalgroupharmony.com/ROWNEW/RollinSt.htm

Songs :

The Marigolds

     
Rollin’ Stone                   Rollin’ Stone (alt. take)                    Why Don’t You

     
Two Strangers        Love You - Love You - Love You        It's You Darling, It's You

  
Juke Box Rock And Roll           Don’t Say Tomorrow

The Solotones

  
Pork And Beans                    Front Page Blues

Johnny Bragg (solo)

  
Foolish Me!                   Beyond The Clouds

...

The Mystics (3) (Cincinnati)
aka  The Dealers

Personnel :

Claude Johnson

Doc Morris

Melvin Thomas

Don Thomas

Discography :

The Mystics (3)
Singles :
1962 - Mash Potatoes With Me / The Hoppy Hop (King 5678)
1963 - The Jumpin' Bean / Just For Your Love (King 5735)
Unreleased :
1962 - Humpty Dumpty (Had A Great Fall) (King)
1962 - Stars In The Sky (King)

The Dealers
1965 - You Got It / (We're So) Glad That We Made It (Big Bunny 507)

Biography :

The Mystics on King Record were : Claude Johnson, Doc Morris, Melvin Thomas, and Don Thomas (he's the one who later joined the Drifters - his real name was Charles Thomas, but he changed it to Don so as not to be confused with the Charlie Thomas who'd been in the Drifters for many years).

After two singles for king they became the Dealers and have a last one with Big Bunny Records.
Thanks to Marv Goldberg


Songs :

The Mystics (3)

  
Just For Your Love                       The Hoppy Hop

   
Humpty Dumpty                           Stars In The Sky

   
Mash Potatoes With Me                   The Jumpin' Bean

The Dealers

You Got It

...

The Starlets (1) (Orange, New Jersey)
aka The Angels (7)

Personnel  :

Linda Malzone

Barbara "Bibs" Allbut

Phyllis '"Jiggs" Allbut

Bernadette Carroll

Discography  :

The Starlets
1960 - P.S. I Love You / Where Is My Love Tonight (Astro 202/203)
1960 - Romeo and Juliet / Listen For A Lonely Tambourine (Astro 204/205)

Richie Dennis (bb The Starlets)
1960 - I'll Cry / I Am Alone (Julia 1101)

Biography:

The group originated in New Jersey as The Starlets which consisted of sisters, Barbara "Bibs"  and Phyllis "Jiggs" Allbut, Bernadette Carroll, and Linda Malzone.  They had some minor local hits and wound up doing back-up work in the studio. 

When Linda Malzone left, Linda Jankowski (later Jansen) became the new lead singer. Their manager, Tom DeCillis, turned his focus to Bernadette Carroll and dropped the rest of the group. Carroll would find solo success in 1963 with her Laurie single "Party Girl."  After a failed attempt at record deal with producer Gerry Granahan, the Allbut sisters turned their focus to education. 

Phyllis Allbut was in teacher's college at the time and Barbara Allbut was accepted into the Juilliard School for her abilities as a musical arranger.  Soon Granahan, who had previously rejected the group, suddenly saw hit potential in the song they had performed for him in their audition, a version of "Till," and wanted them to record it in the studio. 

"Til" became their first single under their new name, The Angels, and also their first hit (#14 US) released by Granahan's Caprice label in 1961.


Songs :

The Starlets

   
P.S. I Love You                            Where Is My Love Tonight

  
    Romeo and Juliet                    Listen For a Lonely Tambourine

Richie Dennis (bb The Starlets)

  
I'll Cry                                     I Am Alone

..

 The Redwoods (New York) 
aka The Spartans (4)  aka  The Flairs (2) aka Jeff Barry 

Personnel :

Jeff Barry

Discography :

The Redwoods
1961 - Shake Shake Sherry / The Memory Lingers On (Epic 5-9447)
1961 - Never Take It Away / Unemployment Insurance (Epic 5-9473)
1962 - Please Mr Scientist / Where You Used To Be (Epic 5-9505)

The Flairs (2)
1961 - Shake Shake Sherry / The Memory Lingers On (Epic 5-9447)

The Spartans (4)
1962 - Can You Waddle? / Can You Waddle (instumental) (Web 1)

Biography :

In 1961, Jeff Barry continues to issue recordings: A solo single on United Artists, a Jubilee release under the pseudonym Billy Mitchell, and pseudo vocal group records (he sings all voices) but were credited to the groups the Redwoods, the Spartans, and the Flairs on Epic and Web Records.

Songwriters Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman hire him to sing demos, some of which are recorded by Elvis Presley. Barry also begins to produce records.
http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/timeline/C128

Songs :

The Redwoods

   
Where You Used To Be                 Unemployment Insurance

   
The Memory Lingers On                     Never Take It Away

   
Please Mr Scientist                          Shake Shake Sherry

The Flairs (2)

   
Shake Shake Sherry                      The Memory Lingers On

The Spartans (4)


Can You Waddle?

...